Alexandria's Library
by Starysky205
Summary: To be quite honest, and given the circumstances that was all he could be right now, a part of him knew that if given the opportunity, he would do it all again, but he was the only one who needed to know this, as far as he was concerned ((A 1))
1. Job proposal

_"_ _Demon is just a title Arcas, just a way to referring to immortal beings that have power over certain aspects of life, of course there are actual demons in my dimension but they're hardly how you picture them"_

 _"_ _Arcas?"_

 _"_ _Would you rather have me call you Pine Tree?"_

Cipher clue: There are 26 letters in the English alphabet, isn't that cool?

* * *

Chapter 1: Job proposal

"Oren Pines, son of Alexander and Josie Pines, twin brother of Mabel Pines, and recently, newly assigned assistant of one Alexandria Musser"

The man expressed no reaction, as expected

"You used to go by the name of Dipper, though you now prefer Arcas, we know what you are"

Again there was no expression pass the calm look, as if the man had his mind somewhere else

"What we want to know is how a simple human turned into such a powerful being in the span of a month"

The man smiled then, something dangerous glistening in the corner of his eyes

"Let's make a deal"

The man straightened, eyes glowing green

"I'll tell you what you want to know and you let me go back home without these chains"

The black clawed hand was covered in a soft orange hue; the agent seems to ponder for a moment before shaking the hand

"Deal"

~12-5-20'19 2-5-7-9-14~

Dipper Pines sat on an old looking room, waiting for his, hopefully; new boss. The announcement had made it seem like this job would be a perfect fit, but it was exactly that which made Dipper find it odd, as he specialized in the supernatural

A side door opened to a woman balancing two cups of coffee and a bag of warm treats, how she had opened the door wass a mystery

"Sorry I'm late, the line was hellish, I would know"

She quickly left everything on the desk in front of dipper, sitting herself on a larger chair at the other end sighing

"You're Oren, or Dipper rather, right?"

"Yes"He allowed himself to inspect her, she wore smart clothing in dark shades of bluish-green, her hair was aquamarine, probably dyed, straight and cut in diagonals, the fringe was long enough to cover both her eyes and part of her nose

"Well Dipper, I'm Alexandria Musser, but I'd prefer if you called me Fay"

She smiled warmly, her voice seemed to echo in the room, she placed hiss curriculum in the desk, careful of the previously placed liquids

"Now, this 'wonderful' piece of paper tells me a lot about you, so let's spice things up and let me tell you about me, pertaining your job, of course"

"That would be good"

She linked her hand and rested her chin on them, a mysterious smile on her lips

"You look the kind to enjoy a good mystery, so here's one, the majority of the people who came here don't stay to listen what the job actually is, why do you suppose that might be?"

Dipper frowned, ready to ask how that applied to the job, but she laughed

"It's because no one believes me when I tell them I'm a demon, crazy right?"

She makes circular motions with her hand with an amused grin

"So there, I'm the demon of honesty and sarcasm, I'm aware you've dealt with demons before, so I figured you'd believe me"

She makes a triangle over her forehead and he knows she isn't lying, he shifts

"I'm not going to make any deals, if that's what you want"

"Not offering any kid, I just need help with the investigation and recollection of some evasive books, but I need a human to do it and I can't lie"

"What do you mean you can't lie? You're a demon"

"Demon is just a title Arcas, just a way to referring to immortal beings that have power over certain aspects of life, of course there are actual demons in my dimension but they're hardly how you picture them"

"Arcas?"

"Would you rather have me call you Pine Tree?"

Dipper could feel her gaze on him, words weighting heavily on him, he denied with his head and she smiled again

"I thought as much, Arcas is the mythological name of the constellation you carry on your skin, don't want other demons knowing your name"

She then pushes one of the cups closer to him, taking out two smaller bags from the big one

"That's a peace offering of sorts; I used a bit of alchemy and conditioning on it, if you concentrate on what you want it should give it to you"

Dipper grabbed the cup while raising an eyebrow

"No magic?"

"That'd be breaking the rules, and I don't fancy the punishment for that, the 12th plane is such a bland dimension"

Dipper took an experimental sip, it tasted just like he liked it, nothing more and nothing else, she was telling the truth

"If you'd rather, I'm like the representation of truth and sarcasm, funny how the two mesh so well, and therefore I'm always either very blunt or very sarcastic, sometimes both if you'd believe such a thing"

"How does that work?"

"You know, I've lived for as long as humanity, and I've yet to find out"

"Is that a response or an example?"

The demon smiles, teeth just sharp enough to be inhuman

"Both"

She seemed to be having fun, Dipper leaned back on his chair, drinking his coffee, thinking aver the information he had, she was both a demon and not at the same time, she couldn't lie but could be very sarcastic, she seemed to find his responses so far to be amusing, he decided to push a little more

"So, is that your normal appearance or are you possessing some poor soul"

"This is me in human form, if that's what you meant by 'normal appearance', not like such thing exists, I assumed looking human would be preferable, but I don't have eyes"

As if to prove her point she raised her fringe revealing two glass eyes, one blue and the other green, Dipper was glad she had decided to go for the glass eyes instead of leaving the eye sockets empty

"Can you see at all?"

"Funny you should phrase it that way, I see much better than you actually, though my senses work different than yours"

"I figured that might be the case"

The demon sipped her coffee calmly, before pulling out a piece of brownie from the bag closest to her

"If you were to accept my offer your job would be to help me reunite some books that once belonged to me and help me on my research, I'll ask you to keep any questions regarding that last bit for after you've agreed"

"Does it involve anything illegal?"

"Not necessarily, and I'll provide you with protection if that were to happen, I am, after all, an immortal being, with lots of connections"

She wiggled her fingers at the last part, in a motion a little childish for someone who claimed to have lived so long, then again, what did Dipper know about immortals?

"Fine, I'll accept"

The demon grinned widely, clapping her hands, she took her coffee and her brownie and stood up, Dipper followed after a hand gesture to do so, grabbing the other bag in the desk, She leaded her to the door she had come from, opening it with a gesture of her head, this time Dipper saw the magic being used, she was making it noticeable, he could tell, as he walked behind her he felt the power she held, she turned slightly to him, grin still in her lips

"I believe you'll enjoy the next bit"

Dipper realized she leading them to another door, one made of dark grey wood, with a golden book engraved, pages open, she levitated her coffee to turn the knob and move so he could see, light came from the door, a portal writhing as it settled on the location the demon wanted it to go, Dipper took a deep breath, no backing down now

* * *

((a=x/a=d))


	2. Co workers

_First a_

 _"_ _I get the feeling we'll become good friends"_

 _And then a_

 _"_ _You're doomed"_

Cipher clue: If one takes three steps forwards, the other will inevitably go three steps back, and vice versa

* * *

Chapter 2: Co workers

The ripples finally settled to show what seemed to be a grand library, Dipper stepped in with a star struck expression, inside it looked almost endless, the woman must have entered behind him because suddenly there was the door closing and windows appeared at the sides, showing a street he recognized from the city, the demon walked past him and the door changed color until turning a warm brown, the place looked like a maze of bookshelves, going from the floor to almost the roof of what was a much taller room than he had first thought, Alexandria… no; Fay, smiled in content at his expression

"I see you appreciate my little collection, these are just from the last six decades or so; the older ones are in the lower levels"

"This is amazing"

"Well, I certainly didn't spend my eternity with my arms crossed, though I lost the first one, I've been far more cautious with this library"

She crossed her arms behind her back, leaning slightly towards him, hair moving in motion, like she's performing a dance of sorts, he figures she's happy

"You'll be working with my protégé, he's a demon as well, he's probably in the Egypt section as off now, but first let me show you to the staff room"

There was a large table, one of the corners had a two large piles of books and a notebook, the rest remained empty, there were two doors, one that led to a bathroom and the other to Fay's office, it seemed, the free walls were covered with bookshelves that only had a very small amount of books, though considering he had been hired to recollect information he guessed filling those was part of his job, when he looked back at Fay she was smiling

"There's one last thing I should tell you, concerning that demon you crossed paths with, he had a twin you see, I saved him from a rather abusive dimension, so he might act a bit jumpy"

"Is that my co-worker?"

"That's a mild reaction, but yes, his name is William Cipher, I believe the one you met was Bilius, though I don't believe you've seen either in human form"

"So he's not a floating Dorito?"

Fay laughed at that, giving a look like she found the subject endearing

"I guess you could say that"

A surge of magic came from the door behind him, he turned to see someone enter, face covered by a pile of books, the other made his way to the occupied corner of the table and laid the pile there, finally, Dipper got a good look at the other demon in the room

William Cipher had a very tan complexion, sky blue hair long enough to be pulled into a ponytail, he wore a light blue vest over a white shirt and black dress pants, when he looked up Dipper saw the other had a triangle shaped eye patch over his left eye, the other was a vibrant gold color, he looked a bit taken aback by him, eyes flying to Fay, who stepped a bit closer

"Will, this is Dipper Pines, he'll be working with us"

There seemed to be a mental conversation for a moment before William relaxed and gave Dipper a shy smile, crossing the distance

"It's nice to meet you Dipper"

An outstretched hand, Dipper gave him a friendly smile in response shaking the hand

"Likewise"

"Good, I'll leave you to know each other, no lying Will"

There was a hum of power and Dipper suddenly understood just how dangerous the female demon could be, to make others unable to lie. She opened the door to her office, which first showed just an office before turning into a portal, she crossed closing the door behind her, Dipper turned to William

"This is just a feeling I have but, do you know me?"

William winced at the question, sitting on the table instead of one of the chairs to face him

"Not per se"

"You know me from a different dimension then"

The demon simply nodded, Dipper took the closest chair, sitting with the back between his legs so he could rest his hands on it, humming

"I'd like to believe I'm not like that person, but I don't know"

This seemed to make him perk up, a tiny smile forming on his lips as he shook his head no

"Fay believes that everyone on this dimension is the complete opposite of the people on the one I used to be in, so I wouldn't worry"

He had a calming voice, if Dipper had to pick an adjective to describe it, if a bit childish; he was taller than Dipper and looked a bit older than him, even though he was probably older by centuries

"I met your brother"

He doesn't know what pushes him to say it, it just seems like something the demon would need to know; William tenses slightly

"Oh"

Then a wave of something seems to hit him as he relaxes again but looks a bit melancholic

"I'm sure Bill didn't leave the best impression"

Dipper lets out a chuckle at that, unaware of the golden eye that's laid on him in surprise

"That's a bit of an understatement"

He notices the other shuffling in place beside him; he looks a bit taken aback

"Say, did Fay give you a nickname?"

Dipper thinks about it, he supposes the other him didn't leave a good impression either, but apparently he had, it would be better for the other

"Arcas"

William smiles softly at him

"I like it; can I call you that too?"

Dipper decides that the two of them will probably get along, he feels himself relaxing as a smile forms on his lips

"Sure"

-F CBBI IFHB F'J QEB LKIV LKB TEL DFSBP QEBJ AFCCBOBKQ KXJBP-

Getting along with Will turns out to be quite easy, he's a bit clumsy but otherwise very helpful, his tone never raising volume from the soft tone that gives Dipper the impression that the other was crying minutes ago, even though he knows that's not the case

Will teaches him the divisions of the library, the demon ends up giving him a map with the different floors, that's how Dipper discovers the stairs, the building has a total of eighteen floors, starting from the lowest level, Will explains that four out of the ten basements are exclusively for the three of them and their research, the other six basements aren't human-friendly so he should stay clear of them, the eight higher levels are free for all, humans entering the library are all under the impression that the building only has the eight floors

"So others do visit this place"

"Well yes, with the years the library has become one of the biggest centers of knowledge in the world"

"That's a bit odd; I would think I would've heard about it by now"

"That's because I've changed the name many times, never mind the location"

They both turned towards the voice, though Will had an amused smile, Fay was dressed in an early 20's fashion, hair looking odd in brown but clothes still in the shades of green, the hair was turning back to the color Dipper had met her with, looking like it was losing dye at impossible speed, it was hard to look directly at so Dipper focused on the ever-present smile, Fay rested a hand at her hip, with a tug of her lips that looked dangerously close to a smirk

"Have you ever seen Howl's moving castle?"

"Yes, why?"

"I gave him the idea, the writer I mean, for a building that travels from place to place, which is basically what my library does, though they work a bit differently, that's artistic freedom for you"

"That's the most amazing thing anyone's ever said to me"

"Thank you, see Will, other people think I'm cool, not just the terrified demons"

Will groans, giving Dipper a look that just screams 'why?', Dipper chuckles at the display of domesticity between the two, he can get used to this

"Terrified demons?"

And it's all it takes to get Will smiling again, an amused smirk that has Fay huffing, they act like siblings

"Fay is a low level demon, but she's also extremely old and has some of the most problematic powers"

Fay didn't deny it; Will leaned back, eyeing her with a much more relaxed smile, one that had no ill intent behind it

"She's affected by her own power"

Fay smiled softly, taking a seat on the now very full table, minding the spread out books with care

"Never tell secrets to a Cipher without making a deal first, they are unable to keep their mouths shut"

It's said far more affectionately than it's intended to be, eyes soft and smile softer, Will gives her a sheepish smile in return

"Sorry"

"Well then, how about I tell dipper something about you in exchange, I mean he's met Bilius so he probably knows you're a dream demon

"I figured as much, yes"

"But unlike Bilius, who is a master of nightmares, Will is a master of hopeful dreams, you know, the kind where all your wishes come true and what not"

Will gets a bit flustered, avoiding both of their gazes, Fay gives Dipper a close-eyed smile that Dipper can't help but return

"So you're the good twin"

"Oh no, they are both little rascals, but Will was smart enough to not get power hungry, rules are not to be trifled with Arcas, keep that in mind if we ever visit the demon realm"

"Can he go there?"

"I sense a sufficient magic level on him, if he practices a bit more he should be fine"

"BRX VDLG WKDW DERXW UHJXOXV DQG ORRN ZKDW KDSSHQHG"

"William"

By the reproaching tone alone Dipper could guess that Will had said something less than likeable, the demon seemed to jolt at the use of his whole name, looking terrified for just a second, this time Fay didn't soften her stare though

"Sorry"

Fay breathes slowly, the smile returns to her face, for a moment she looks eerily human

"Arcas is different; he has the soul for it"

Will turns to him, Dipper feels like he's being exposed to an x-ray, the golden eye widened for a moment, accompanied by a mute 'oh', and then Will was beaming at him

"I could teach you magic on our free time, if you want"

Fay chuckles but he feels like she was expecting this development, Dipper considers his options and decides that Will would probably make for a better teacher, it's a feeling in his gut, but he doesn't think he'd like learning magic from Fay, his instincts have only failed him so many times

"That sounds good"

The two demons exchange looks, Will has the biggest grin, Fay is simply smiling like she thinks him ridiculous, then they both turn to Dipper again

First a

"I get the feeling we'll become good friends"

And then a

"You're doomed"

Before Will hits Fay in the head with a book and all Dipper can do is laugh, feeling light and relaxed, even though he's in the presence of two demons, albeit how dorky they both seem to be

* * *

((0=7))


	3. Change of pace

Cipher clue: Adding numbers to the dial code was definitely a good idea

* * *

Chapter 3: Change of pace

It gets extremely late before Will is dragging him to the main door, and then pushing him to start heading home, the demon doesn't take a no for an answer, he ends up deciding to tag along just to make sure Dipper won't pass out in the way there, and after spending hours upon hours searching through books with the other, Dipper feels like they have a deep enough bond to not worry about Will knowing where he lives, not that Will wouldn't have known regardless, what with him being a demon

He remembers Mable opening the door and helping Will carry him to his bed, he also faintly remembers her asking the other who he is, in what probably is a flirting tone, before he drifted off into sleep

~8BG3EER, 3 6B887K7GM IHO~

Will knew he would get questioned, this Mabel seemed a lot more agreeable than the one he knew, but some things just don't change

"So, can I know your name?"

Ok, a believable lie, he was sure his real surname would raise a couple red flags, besides, he had to test if he could lie at all; prolonged hours near Fay could affect one

"Ah, of course, I'm William, William Musser; I work with your brother at my cousin's library"

"I see, he didn't tell me he would have a co-worker"

"I think he found out today, actually, and we went straight to work"

"Well, thank you for bringing him back, you didn't have to"

Ok, this is a course he can follow, he can lie too, that's good to know, he isn't sure why, but he feels like divulging things to this Mable would be bad

"I was worried he wouldn't make it here on his own, time passed rather quickly today, but I'm sure he'll be returning earlier from now on"

This, Will promises to himself, he needs Arcas in his best health if he's going to teach him magic, so he puts on a gentle smile

"When he wakes up tell him not to worry, I'll cover for him this time"

Mabel smiles right back, nodding, there's a bit of flirting afterwards, before Will is allowed to leave, which is a bit uncomfortable until Mabel mentions Fay as his cousin, he tells her the truth, that he doesn't think the other cares much for gender, he's not sure Mabel knows they're talking about a, mostly female, demon, but he wasn't going to tell her if Dipper didn't decide to, he had the feeling that fell into the area of 'things that are better left for trusted people to say', Fay would be proud of that one, he groans internally

~LM3KL, B EBD7 MABL 5H67~

The first thing he does as he crosses the door of the library again is let gravity take over, he's caught by Fay's familiar magic, the soft maroon glow is generally not very easy to spot, but right now he appreciates this particularity, he's carried to Fay's persona portal, and then to the house they had to buy to keep the pretense of being humans, Fay drops him on a couch-bed that's easy to melt in, he mumbles his thanks

"So, what did you think about this world's Mabel?"

"Shooting star is way different, like, their very auras are completely different colors, with Arcas it's just a different shade"

"Is she a pure as well?"

"That's the thing too, as far as I remember they've always had similar auras in other dimensions, like, always two secondary or two mixed, but not here"

"Hmmm"

He turns his head slightly, getting a look at Fay, who has slipped into her demon form; ears shifting every so often, the glass eyes are in their case

"I feel like there's something you're not telling me"

She pulls a chair from the kitchen without moving, and slumps in it sighing

"I'm still not allowed to talk about the future"

"Ah, right, so I guess it has to do with the fate of this dimension then"

She nods slowly, then she tilts her head towards something unseen, Will is too tired to try and see it too

"If possible, I would like to change that fate, though my actions have contradicted that train of thought so far, or rather most of them"

"You're rambling"

Fay sighed before smiling tiredly

"Thanks Will"

He shrugs, it's become rather common for him to do this; Fay is nothing if not appreciative of the gesture

~VTUZ BL LN5A 3 F7LL H8 3 R73K~

Will woke up with a jolt as his mind took a moment to realize that no, he was in no danger, he had fallen asleep on an open book, after he had insisted Fay leave him study a bit longer, the smell of coffee wafted to his nose and he saw Dipper placing a carrier with three cups on the table, he relaxed when the eyes that were skimming the book were brown and not blue, he used a bit of magic to lift one cup and move it closer to himself, the other glanced to him and raised an eyebrow

"How late did you stay up for?"

"I have no idea"

"Don't bother him much Arcas, he has zero sense of time, thanks for the coffee"

"Welcome"

Will takes a good sip, letting the warmth fill him before sighing; he looks at the other two

"I found out the location of one of the books, I'll teach you an easy disguise spell when I wake up some more"

Dipper nodded, Fay whispered something into her cup, making it glow maroon for a moment; she then takes another sip and gives the first smile of the day

"Try not to flood the place; I'd rather not have to use drying spells on magic books; that never goes well"

It is very odd to see so much expression on a face that's half-covered by hair, but Fay looks positively put out by the concept, though she has understandable reasons. Will concentrates on his own coffee nodding slowly to not spill nor dizzy himself; he hopes the day goes smoothly

* * *

((Lines and dots))


	4. Basics of magic

Cipher clue: If you ever read homestuck then you know this one very well (I'm probably doing this one wrong)

Referring to Rev! Dipper as 'man' was easy but referring to Rev! Mabel as woman felt wrong and I need to talk about the implications of this with someone

* * *

Chapter 4: Basics of magic

The library turned out to be bigger than he had imagined, or perhaps it was simply because the difference between the outside look and the interior was a bit unsettling, Dipper didn't know if he wanted to ask

Will dragged him to the magic section of the library, a small dim-light room with a blackboard, sofas and plenty of magical artifacts ordered with runic labels, by the way Will avoided it Dipper was willing to bet the carpet was hiding something too

The dream demon grabbed a small chest from one of the shelves, and lead Dipper to the sofas, with a snap of fingers a table rushed in between the two, Will opened the chest and started pulling out objects, a bottle with what looked like water, a plate that was somewhat charred on the inside but shone like it was new, some dry leaves, an emerald and some jewel-like stone Dipper had never seen before, a piece of paper, a feather, and finally an odd looking branch

"Now, before I can teach you anything I need to know your bases and your strengths"

He took the piece of paper, and dug a nail into his left thumb, Dipper hadn't noticed how black or how sharp the nails were, when they had introduced each other Will's hands had looked anything but threatening, with a precision proper of a calligraphist or an artist, Will drew a complex rune in the paper, then he flicked the same hand and a small flame appeared, if Bill's fire had been blue then Will's fire was almost golden, he light the plate and the flame stayed there, dancing

"I want you to try and affect each one of these objects by using a type of elemental magic you think suits them best"

It was an easy enough task, for the most part, dipper removed the cap of the bottle by using water magic, he changed the color of the fire by affecting the temperature with fire magic, he then made the leaves green again with a bit of nature magic, the emerald turned into a nice oval with earth magic, but then the second stone didn't react and Dipper realized there was a trick to this. He took the small object in his hand, it was smooth the touch, rounded, of an interesting transparence, it was also rather warm… warm?

He got an idea and closed his eyes, concentrating on the small stone in his hands, on how oddly warm it was compared to his palm; he felt it start to hum softly, he felt a bit lightheaded and opened his eyes, when he left the stone in the table it was a vibrant green, that had been the second time he had ever used soul magic

With a last glance to what he knew now was a soul stone, he moved to the feather, he tried wind magic and was pleased when the feather stood up and twirled as he wanted it to, he heard Will chuckle but paid the demon no mind

The last two were tricky, because he had no idea what to do with an enchanted paper, and the branch was equally ominous, he tried the branch first. The bark was an unusual black, minimal yellow buds had remained in each ramification, when he grabbed it he knew what to do, he had never been good at chaos magic, it was volatile to say the least, and using it for something that usually belonged to nature magic was a bit of a stretch, but the branch felt dark and unnatural, so he tried. Small blue flowers with green polka dots sprung from the buds, the branch was snatched from him and put in a yellow bubble

"Poisonous"

Dipper nodded, not needing further explanation, things from the pit weren't designed for living people, though poison was probably rather mild as an effect of such a plant. The last was the paper, he supposed that there was also one thing he hadn't tried yet, necromancy was the least popular of them all and therefore the one that was more mainstream, however both Fay and Will were demons and probably didn't see anything wrong with knowing a powerful magic, and Dipper had to admit he had succumbed to its alluring nature a few times, with different results

He fixed his eyes on the rune; if this was for necromancy it made sense that there would be blood involved, the rune itself functioned as a replacement for a chant of some sort, he guessed the easiest thing would be to bring something back, so he placed a hand over the paper and concentrated on something harmless, there was a soft green glow and suddenly a very zombie looking mouse was rushing through the table to him, squeaking, where the fur wasn't missing it had a beige color, a few spots in a light brown, in one of the ears and right where the tail begun, the tail was bare bone and one of the ears had a hole while the other looked like someone had cut parts with a scissor, it was missing one of the eyes but thankfully nothing else too gory; a little voice in his mind insisted that the little creature was cute as it stopped in front of him sitting and shaking his long whiskers at him

"That one must be of the newest ones if he wasn't already put in a glass container"

Dipper looked up alarmed; Will smiled at him in apology

"Rodent bones are included in most potions for the durability of paper, and Fay is a bit obsessive with her books"

Dipper cringes at the image, the zombie mouse squeaks, he looked back at the mouse in time for it to lean its head to the right and Dipper's heart melted a little, he offered a hand and the creature was in his shoulders in seconds, strangely the mouse only smelled of old books, perhaps to do with the rune Will had drawn

"Well, you're certainly talented, I think chaos magic should be left aside for now though, but you obviously have a gift for necromancy and soul magic, odd for a green aura"

He shows Dipper the crystal on the last part, to clarify; Dipper knew of course, his non-elemental magic always had a green hue, but he hadn't found much when he researched auras

"What do you mean?"

"It is believed that certain types of magic get along better with certain colors of auras, I'm afraid Fay would be better to ask about the subject"

Dipper nodded, the demon made a gesture with his hand and all the objects went back to the box glowing yellow

"Luckily our spell falls into the soul magic, so you should be able to pull it easily enough"

The next few hours were spent with Will teaching him the words for the spell

~ .. .-.-...-.-...-..-.- -.-.-.- -.-...-.-. .-...-..- -.-... -.-.-... ~

Dipper was now a red-head; his eyes were the color his magic usually took, a lush green that reminded him of the forest of Gravity Falls, Fay had taken a look at him and with a wave had changed his clothes into something more formal, dress pants, a light pink shirt and a maroon vest, finally, and after a moment of hesitance, Fay added a blue tie and then, after another moment but with a louder hesitance, gave Dipper a black fedora with blue details to match the tie

"Well, don't you look outstanding?"

"I feel like there's a theme going here that I'm unaware off"

"Knowing Fay, definitely, but don't worry about that, concentrate on the mission"

"And make sure Will doesn't get trampled over"

Dipper side eyes him, Will looks constipated, Fay is cackling; all is good

~ ...-.-. -. -...-.-.-.. ..- ... - .-...-. ~

There's an abysmal difference between the Will Dipper met in the library, and the Will he sees now, when they're faced with a man that Dipper has to admit looks a lot like himself, or would if not for the spell Dipper has on his person, for which he's glad honestly

The other Dipper, god that's gonna give him a headache, gives Will the look a cat might give a mouse it has cornered, and Dipper feels both anger and the need to protect the demon, who looks about as terrified as the mouse would be in said situation, an angered squeak comes from his shoulder and Dipper remembers he forgot to leave the mouse at the library, it's probably for the best, bright blue eyes move to him, the only difference between this man and himself

"Don't mind my pet"

Dipper can't be bothered to hide his dislike, although he smiles all the same, the other seems to be analyzing him, Dipper decides he doesn't like this version of himself and plays with the spell to give himself cat eyes for just a moment, enough to make the other flinch slightly, he considers this a win

"We're here to get a few books; we'll be out of your hair in no time"

His voice was something else, because what would be the purpose of disguising himself if he was going to be recognized by his voice, Will had placed a voice altering spell on his tie when they entered this dimension

"And what's in it for me?"  
Dipper really didn't like this man, suspicion he could understand, caution too, but this man was convince he was in control here, and wanted to keep said control within his grasp

"I'm sure you know, who we represent"

It's a stern tone, a warning, little words with heavy meaning, when this doesn't face the other Dipper thinks and acts quick, a wide, maddened smile draws itself in his features, he gets the cat eyes back for extra flare

"There are no secrets in the business of truth, and I know plenty about you, Oren Gleeful"

The other finally shows a reaction, anger but also worry, he unconsciously takes a step back and Dipper follows putting his hands behind his back

"Arcas"

Will's voice is small, and it makes Dipper's blood boil, but he doesn't let it show, the other Dipper is now looking at him with apprehension, Dipper takes the cat eyes away but keeps the eerie smile

"It would be wise for you to let us through; I'd rather not waste time with you"

Oren moves, and there's a strange satisfaction in calling him that, Dipper can't quite place why, and they enter the tent, Oren guides them to the back, where Dipper sees someone who looks every bit like Mabel, except for the bright blue eyes that match Oren's, she lifts her head from the daggers she's been sharpening and smiles at Dipper

"Ooh, a necromancer"

There's something entirely fake about this Mabel, it puts Dipper off somewhat so he decides to ignore her for the most part; instead he gets the list of books from Will and gives it to Oren, smiling again, the other says nothing as he disappears deeper still into the tent, the Mabel look-alike stands up, looking impressed, but cautious, such a clear contrast with his Mabel

"Does that little girl have a name?"

Dipper looked at the mouse, which had its eye fixed on the female; he moves his eyes to her smiling like he had up to now

"Fable"

Oren comes back with two books and hands them together with the list, Dipper grins at him before grabbing the items and handing them to Will with a much different smile, he guides the demon out, no goodbyes as Will opens the door to reveal a portal, the two cross it

* * *

((a=h))


	5. The third demon

If you were wondering, this all started out of me listening to "There's a reason this tables are numbers, honey you just haven't figured it out yet" and thinking: what if it was from Dipper's point of view? The mind is a wondrous thing

Cipher clue: Fay uses the middle to signify her own nature as a pacifier between the two

* * *

Chapter 5: The third demon

Fay looked down at the statue, she would have to have a long conversation with Arcas latter about why exactly she was doing this, she wouldn't ask for forgiveness or acceptance, but she knew he would need to know

Now, finding the thing had been a trip, a hunt of sorts, but now that she was here she could only think about different times, not generally one to dwell, but things had never worked accordingly with the twins

She sat down, the grass was always soft for her, no bugs would attack her, the woods would never betray her and get her lost, because she had stood up and stayed true when it had mattered most and when it didn't, she had fought to keep nature safe and, although she had lost the demon to fire, nature never forgot, she wasn't surprised either that Bill's statue had remained intact

"I told you power was not going to bring him back Bilius, why do you never listen?"

A soft breeze rushed past her, she sighed

"Instead you pushed him away, was it worth it? You had to know it was him, out of everyone, William will notice sooner or later, but you…"

There was no answer, not that she was waiting one, she laid her head back and laughed, laughed because everything about this was ridiculous and so very fitting, and it was horrible, and it was a mess, and laughing felt better than crying

"You absolute idiot, for someone who knows so much you still understand so little"

She put on a more serious face, she leaned in, hand reaching out

"I'm not doing this for you"

~ JOVJVSHAL PZ NVVK MVY FVBY ZVBS ~

Dipper takes a moment to analyze their surroundings; they are in a clearing of a forest he doesn't recognize, the temperature is colder than it was before, it's early in the morning, the trees tower above him, but he can't think about how right it feels, he has a demon to check up on

He's in front of Will quickly, hands lightly at the other's shoulders, enough to get the yellow eye to look at him

"Shh, it's ok, you're ok; you're safe"

Will breathes slowly, eye still trained on Dipper who keeps reassuring the other, images flash through Dipper's mind before they go away the moment Will notices, it's enough for Dipper to feel sick and angry, Will reaches out and keeps him still. He feels the thrum of power, the raging emotions, and everything falls into place, how hadn't he noticed before? But if his suspicion was correct, why would his brother… oh! Of course! Dipper had never considered Bill anything other than dangerous; he wouldn't have felt the energy that was barely noticeable before Will had made contact, he smiled softly at the human

"Sorry Arcas, thank you"

Dipper smiled back at him, finally letting go, Will composed himself and checked on the books and the list, scratching out the ones they had

"Where are we, anyways?"

"Humans call this place the enchanted forest, it's somewhere in Argentina"

"Why here?"

"Argentineans all share an uncanny ability for sensing the supernatural, it has turn them a bit superstitious though they believe that the supernatural can be good, which has made them quite kind to strangers"

"I don't know any Spanish"

And Will, laughed, because really, what else should he have expected from someone as unpredictable as Arcas, and now that the demon knew… well, it was so easy to fall back into the old sense of security, the forest itself seemed to rejoice in the presence of the human, even if only so slightly

"That's okay, the person we're going to ask now is very fluent in English, they are of the few gifted with the gift of sight; I believe you will like them"

Will opens a portal in between some trees, Dipper doesn't quite understand why they didn't go to their final destination directly but keeps the question for latter, the two come out inside a room of what Dipper recognizes as a museum, and while he can't read the information in the cards he can still tell it's based on history, a door opens to a small person with almost white skin, chocolate colored hair, and dark green eyes, they smile at Will

"I knew I felt a familiar presence, still avoiding the main door Cipher?"

There was no bite to the words, more of a light amusement; still, Dipper found it odd to hear someone refer to Will by his surname, the demon was smiling though, so he supposed this person couldn't be that bad

"Dove, it's been too long"

"It's Daniel today, who's your friend?"

"Ah, this is Arcas"

The other smiled at him in an unthreatening way, eyes seeing more than what Dipper could guess

"Merry meet"  
"Arcas, this is Daniel Scasso, he's also known as Dove"

"As much as I love chit chatting with you and any friend you might have, I'm sure you came here for a reason"

Will nodded, he handed him the list

"We were hoping you could help us locate some of these books, a few ended in your country"

"Well, none of these are museum property, which is a good thing, but there are a few titles I recognize, there's an old book shop not that far from here that should still have them, I'll get you the direction"

They, he? Dipper guesses he'll go with the one Will used, he walks away through the same door as he entered, no magic to speak of, just a sign to ward non-workers away

"He…seems nice"

"He's a riot, really, you should meet the others; they all have ridiculous nicknames"

Will is smiling in amusement, they sound like an interesting bunch

~ AYBAO PZ ZBJO HU PUALYLZAPUN JVUJLWA~

"You know Fay; I never thought you of all people would be the one breaking me free"

"Honestly, I was hoping I wouldn't either, but this barrier is nearly impenetrable"

"Well, doesn't that explain a lot?"

"Surely you realized this, or were you so blinded by power you forgot your own wit in your human form"

Bill didn't answer, hands coming together to form a triangle

"I heard about Will, thank you"

Fay sighed; a flash of hurt crossed her face

"Don't thank me, I shouldn't have let him go, either of you really"

"You would have gotten killed; at least you managed to save him"

"I'm not apologizing, not to you, not after what you did"

Bill looked down, slowly glowing blue as he transformed into his human form, she glared at him with hurt

"Were you really so blind with power that you didn't see him?"

He brushed a hand through golden hair

"It's a blur really, I know I should have, but I was so angry, at being trapped in my own domain, at his family"

Fay sighed, offering a hand as she crossed the barrier easily, he looked a bit surprised

"Maybe it's due time you start listening to those who care for you, don't you think?"

Bill gave a small smile, taking the hand and breathing in before crossing the barrier as well

"You're always right"

"Yet you never listen"

"Of course not, someone has to give you a bit of a challenge"

Fay laughed then, nodding her head ever so slowly

"I'm aware"

She opened a portal, the destination jarring

Bill looked at the building, knowing that he could convince Fay to get him out of this one, but choosing to remain silent

He didn't say anything, not while Fay talked to the other demons, not while they escorted him away, not when his eye met the glass ones of Fay and she disappeared. In the solitude of his cell, a smirk drew itself on his lips, Fay using magic so freely could only mean one thing, destiny was tangling their paths again, soon the other would remember

Bill chuckled humorlessly; he would have to apologize once he paid his dues

~ DOHA MVY TL PZ HU HIZVSBAL AYBAO TPNOA ZLLT SPRL H YPKPJBSVBZ PKLH AV FVB~

The door opened to let the two in, Fay felt herself smiling as soon as he saw the way Will was behaving, she could tell he had found out in his corporal language, but she had something to say right now, so that would have to wait

"Arcas, I would like to talk to you for a moment"

He nodded, leaving his load on the table, she guided him to her office, sitting herself behind the messy desk and signaling him to sit on a chair in front of it

"I've done something that I know you wouldn't agree off, still I choose to tell you, I will tell you what I did and why I did it, I ask neither for forgiveness nor understanding, just that you allow me to get everything out in the open before you decide what to feel"

She started by talking about demons, about lesser and older, about her famous siblings, about rules and punishments. Then she talked about the three demons that ended in her care, a tale of adventure, family, love and death, she talked about promises of rebirth and the terrible decisions one tends to make in such situations, she did not forgive nor did she forget, and the others would be no different. She didn't apologize, she was duty bound but nowhere near remorseful, she considered the twins her family the moment they were left in her care, as she did the third demon, of that one she talked little, hurt making the words impossible to say even with her condition

"I tell you this only because I've decided that you deserve to know, not an excuse, simply an explanation"

Dipper nodded solemnly, it was a lot to take in, he wasn't happy about it but there was little he could do, instead he decided to focus on something else

"You mentioned a third demon, can I ask about them?"

Fay smiled softly, nodding slowly and sitting more comfortably in her chair

"His name was Regulus, a star demon"

* * *

(a=0)


	6. Regulus

I should rename this for something along the lines of 'Study on the immorality usually portrayed in higher beings and discourse of what truth really is' but 'Alexandria's Library' is less of a mouthful

Cipher clue: cipher wheel, cipher wheel, add numbers to your cipher wheel

* * *

Chapter 6: Regulus

Alexandria was a patient demon, having been raised with the sins would force one to be like that, she was also the best suited for handling problem cases, of this she was aware, so she wasn't surprised when there were two goddesses at her doorstep, she looked at the three demons they had in their hands and sighed, she looked at the twins first, twin demons were rare as they were generally a perfect balance for each other, they were considered extremely powerful, the two looked like kids, hairs and clothes the color of the other's aura, she smiled at them

"You two must be Bilius and William"

Then she turned to the other, dressed in the blues and reds of most stars, even rarer than the other two, she smiled at him two and got a soft smile back

"And you must be Regulus"

~ M74D OEK IJEF JE J78DA 01EKJ 8J~

The tower she called home was filled to the brim with stories, her three little devils had become well versed in the language of words, Alexandria was a patient teacher with an ace under her sleeve, she could make anyone unable to lie, and this was enough to make her gain the respect of the three complicated demons under her care

First was William, often walking in the shadow of his brother, he had a good grasp over water and air magic. Bilius was next, the more mischievous of the twins, with a knack for fire and earth magic. Finally there was Regulus, the decided leader of the group, though far more calm than Bilius, he had won the twins over easily and the two had become protective of him, he had a strong connection with soul and life magic, with Alexandria herself getting along better with nature and blood magic they had a harmonic sort of relationship

The three have grown to treat Alexandria like an older sister, and the older demon has grown quite fond of them as well

~ 50D3C 20CF 8I 0 J4HH81B4 8340~

Years fly by when you're immortal, especially when you're preoccupied with raising three demons, so Alexandria had forgotten that every few decades her siblings visited her home, so when the seven demons she was raised with appeared in her door chaos ensued

Envy and Pride were the first to react to the younger demons, mostly asking Alexandria when she had had kids, to which she answered that they weren't hers, that she was taking care of them as a request from a pair of goddesses, Pride was ecstatic

Wrath and Lust took to bothering her, as per usual, while the last three stood at a safe distance, eyeing the three demons cautiously; Alexandria rolled her eyes

"Sloth, Gluttony, Greed, aren't you going to say hello?"

The three acted as if shocked with electricity, Alexandria gives them a judging look, the three look away

"Let go of me Lust"

Once released from the hold, she strode to the youngest sins, her smile turning into a grin, she moved behind the tree demons and pulled them into a hug

"How could you feel threated by my sweet little devils, they are so nice"

"Your sarcasm is as sharp as usual Alex"

"Hush"

She waved her hand at Pride letting go of the younger demons, she turned to them

"You all probably guessed this but these are my siblings, the seven sins, they are about as chaotic as you think they are"

"Is that why you deal with us so well"

"That's mean Reg"

"He's right though"

"These are my cares, William and Bilius Cipher, and Regulus"

"A star?"

"Nix brought him over so I believe so, yes"

Envy tugged at her arm, eyes on the small demon

"Can I talk to you?"

-POV change-

Envy had always had the ability to see other demons prowess, so that they could be jealous of the powerful and uncaring of the powerless, yet they rarely used it to their benefit. My siblings are all very reluctant of their natures, though through the years they've become accustomed to them, just like I to mine

Envy told me that Regulus wasn't from the demon realm like the rest of us, he would be rejected by the barrier, non-demons can only cross on special occasions; they told me to not bring Regulus there until I was sure he would survive the journey

I waited, I trained them, I taught them everything I could, I checked his aura for any changes from its usual color, and I though him ready; I was wrong

The twins were devastated, Will forgave but never forgot and Bill, he was the most affected, he convinced himself that with enough power he would be able to bring Regulus back or reverse time so that he wouldn't have perished in the same place, but in his drive he became blinded by the power he sought

-POV change-

"Why would he go that far? He didn't seem like the kind"

"I believe you should ask him that yourself shall you cross paths again"

Fay sighed and smiled charmingly

"But well, the Bilius Cipher I knew was very different from your Bill Cipher, that's for sure"

Dipper stood up, Fay intertwined her fingers, a wary expression on her face

"Could you tell Will to come inside? I need to tell him too"

Dipper nodded and left the room, outside Will was arranging books in the table

"Fay wants to talk to you now"

The demon left what he was doing and nodded, passing besides him and disappearing through the door, Dipper sat down on the large table and sighed, a myriad of questions rushing through his mind, Fay might be unable to lie but that didn't mean she couldn't withhold information some way, but there had to be somewhere he could look

 _Squeak_

Fable looked at him from atop a closed book, as he looked at the mouse an idea stroke Dipper, one way to learn more about the four demons that had lived in the first library

* * *

(a=26)


	7. The three mourning souls

Cipher clue: Have you tried counting backwards?

* * *

Chapter 7: The three mourning souls

First there had been two entities, complete polar opposites yet uncannily similar. William and Bilius Cipher grew up like the faces of a coin, colliding against each other as much as they could, but they were still treated as an entity, always Bill and Will, Will and Bill, a mistake of which they took advantage

To the outside eyes there were perfect twins, dressing in each other's colors, looking to the world like two halves of a whole, and it was truth that they loved each other as such, but they reveled on their jarring differences on the inside, believing that there were no two people so distinct from one another as they were. But then they got tired of pretending to be carbon copies of each other and, in their unmasking, had fed up their guardian, a goddess they had never called their mother

The turns of life were kind to them though, as they found themselves alongside another goddess and a child that felt like them, in front of a single door with a carving of an open book, the being that emerges feels like them as well, though it's far more noticeable, she smiled at them warmly, eyes those of a predator recognizing its kind, her name was Alexandria

There was never a dull day while they lived with the demonness, who was a great story teller despite of her inability to lie, she was the maternal figure they had never had, acting as teacher, healer, listener, cook, and worried parent, he anger was always dyed in that disappointed tone that had the twins looking at their feet in shame. But the thing that affected them most during those years, was the other demon child

Regulus was very quiet the first few days, talking mostly to Alexandria, until they had a lesson on kinds of demons and the twins found themselves interested in the little star that lived with them, slowly they began getting close to the other, talking to him and playing with him

One day, Regulus asked why they dressed in each other's colors, at the response that they were twins he scoffed and asked them if they were ok with that, Bill answered first, saying he had grown to like the way yellow looked on him and how it reminded him of Will, Regulus then looks at Will who answered that he agreed with that, finally Regulus smiled and nodded to himself before telling them that it was ok then, it was all it took to win them over

As time passed they became very close, to the point that the three were always together, Alexandria came up with a nickname for them but seemed happy about the development, Regulus became their stability, their common ground, and the twins came to like him a little too much

"The problem with stars," had said Envy much, much later on that dreadful rainy night, "is that they're doomed to burn out"

There had been a time when Bill Cipher was a good demon, a time where he only tricked people as pranks and had two others making sure none got too far, a time where he had someone to run back to if worse came to worse, and there had been a time where he had been in love, but he had lost it all, gradually, first by a force he could not control, and then by his own bad decisions

As he waits to be given his punishment his mind wonder back to simpler times, to vibrant green eyes and hair the color of the night sky, a gentle smile thrown in his direction, and about brown eyes under even browner hair, face settled on a defiant look improper to something as powerless as a mortal human being, he smiles bitterly to no one but himself, of all the souls! He was doomed

~7-19-22 21-18-9-8-7 26.14'8 26-9-22 18-13-8-11-18-9-26-7-18-12-13–21-6-15-15 7-18-14-22-8~

Upon seeing the resting room empty Will set off to find his coworker, the library was so grand and labyrinthine, he worried the other had winded up on one of the unsafe areas, a worry that only increased when he run out of places to look in the higher floors, in a bit of a panic he ended up using a spell to teleport to Dipper, and had sighed with relief at noticing it was the one reserved to them, only to then realize what the picture he was seeing looked like

Dipper sat on a very old rug as he chatted idly with a ghost, she looked strangely familiar, from the time period where Will and his had been born, she was leading the conversation, speaking in a tongue Will hadn't heard in very long as Dipper worked on a notebook of sorts, magic thrumming from him, a translation spell most likely, which was rather impressive considering she was talking a probably long dead version of the language, the ghost noticed him and gave a short curtsey, this caught Dipper's attention and he turned to him

"Will!"

"Sorry for the interruption, I just wanted to make sure you hadn't wandered to the inhuman parts of the library"

"Nah, Fable guided me, she knows this place from corner to corner"

The mouse shakes her nose looking almost proud in her perch atop Dipper's left shoulder, a few squeaks that Will guesses are directed at him; Dipper pets her softly

"And who is our visitor?"

"This is Ai, she's tied to one of the scrolls, says Alexandria saved it from the fire, I'm suddenly very hyped about this place"

"Did she tell you about the real reason behind it?"

"We were just getting to that, she was telling me about your adventures with Regulus and your brother"

Will smiled taking seat near to them and asking the spirit if he could listen as well, the ghost smiled charmingly at him and agreed to letting him stay, hearing those old stories was nostalgic, seeing the way Dipper smiled in excitement or laughed with mirth reminded him of a certain star he liked a lot, it was very easy to see the similarities, when stars burn out they transform, and the human with the vibrant aura, Arcas, Dipper felt like home to Will, it had been so long

~ 13-6-14-25-22-9-8 26-9-22-13'7 26-15-15-12-4-22-23 18-13 13-6-14-25-22-9 24-12-23-22~

Alexandria opens a small door hidden behind a bookshelf, it had been such a long time since she last visited, she gave her office one last look deciding Will could probably entertain Dipper for however long it took

The portal was easy to cross, what lay on the other side was a familiar sight, a groove covered in stones and mushrooms that light up all together with her presence, Alexandria remembered putting every stone and mushroom in their place, where they had stayed put by magic boundaries Will had set up, they mimicked the constellations of their home and a couple of Earth, a permanent night sky in the ground, leading to the final resting place of a fallen star

At end of a path was the grave Regulus' mother had crafted for him, a light blue almost white stone that seemed to have its own glow, she sat down facing it

"You know Reg most people would say that pain turns you into a liar"

She put her arms behind her and raised her eyes to the void in the sky, it was an odd multiverse

"You lie to those you care about so they don't worry, you lie to those hurt so they don't suffer, yet still I've always thought it was quite the opposite"

She looked back down to the grave, face downcast

"I've always believed that pain makes you honest to the one person you generally lie to, yourself, because you stay true to the you that cares about them, that wouldn't want any harm to fall on them, and in this honesty towards your own soul, you think it better to lie"

She smiled bitterly

"Sorry I didn't come sooner, I was busy trying to forget things, start over, and then I met him"

She rose up, walking closer and dragging a hand through the grave slowly

"Forgive me, I'm yet again unable to stop my mother's whims, I cannot stop what's about to unfold, but I can promise you to save his soul, if nothing else"

Crying was odd when one didn't have eyes, and though Fay barely complained about this particular feature of hers, in this form it was hard to ignore, she couldn't tell how much time had passed, she had to go back now

"Good bye my blue star, may I see you soon"

She made a sharp turn and strode back the way she came, decided

* * *

(a:|)


	8. 20 books of marine mythology

This story will question religious and political beliefs from time to time, due to the fact that it circles around books and information, despite its subplot. If you're uncomfortable, or simply disagree for any motive, with this I ask that you stop reading this story, thanks in advance

Other titles that could've fit this story: Rebirth of souls and libraries

Cipher clue: I call this one "keyboard code", will provide link to key to those who want it

* * *

Chapter 8: 20 books of marine mythology

Like most things regarding the supernatural, the day in which the very first library had burned to the ground was told in two versions. The mortal-able one had spun into a myriad of theories that pulled it further and further from the supernatural one, and it as only fitting to her nature that Alexandria had spilled every last bit she knew into paper, thus the supernatural version survived, to be seen by few, there had always been a difference between not saying anything and saying only what those listening believed to be the truth, it wasn't lying, it couldn't be, because Fay couldn't lie, it was that simple. Now, in the case of the fire, the scroll where she wrote down the real details had to be guarded with a bit more care than the others, because in her musing she hadn't been able to stop herself from writing how the fire started in detail, how high and hot it had been, even the amount of information that was savable depending the person who was trying to save such things, of what had been lost, the majority were written for mortals by mortals, and though they lacked the buzzing energy of anything written with the slightest bit of magic, she mourned their lost all the same

Drying spells, there was a time, long ago, before she had lost her eyes, where spells such as this were as easy as breathing, humanity was stifling, having someone to use her powers in was tiring, and her magic was not what it used to be, and asking younger demons to help was probably also a bad idea, in the end, though she grieved the loss of so much information, she was glad that they had all survived the fire

)'\ /¡)¿/ ~¡ (|}% ~¡ +%-{*% *¡\% #¡$%* &+¡\ ~()* ¬¡)¿~ &¡+[|+$

By the time Fay returned to the library and exited her office, she found Dipper and Will siting side by side with an open book that had to be of the very first printed by how old it looked, by the sigils drawn in the paper it was of the few that had survived Catholicism, and Fay didn't know what was worse, destroying information in the name of faith or destroying it due to political beliefs, but then perhaps she just didn't understand humans as much as she did humanity

The scene in front of her is short of one, though she doubts the human in front of her would be as calm around said one. Dipper seems to have instinctively taken to Will, she could tell as much by what Will told her of their last trip; it was a good sign. She leaned in the table, reading upside down had never been a problem to her; she skimmed through the words until one caught her eye, the name of a place she knew very well

"I know where you'll go next"

The two looked up at her, Dipper looked a bit startled, like he hadn't noticed her there, and Fay had to remind herself that the other was human and didn't have the same senses as her or Will

"Where then?"

"One of the oldest supernatural hotspots, you're going to need gills though, last I heard it had sunken"

Dipper crossed his arms

"You're sending us to what, real life Atlantis?"

"It was called Crete when I hid my books there, but yes, that's the name you humans gave it" (*)

Dipper's eyes widened, Will frowned in confusion

"I thought you still had all your work?"

"These were from before I meet you, had a meeting with a god, did not end well for Crete"

"A city sunk because you didn't want to show a god your work"

"One of the mildest myths if you'd believe that"

Dipper shrugs, Will just sighs and nods, Fay smiles at them

"Anyway, I left them under the custody of some mermaids so becoming half fish is advisable, use one of the potions, go through the door in the magical marine section"

"We have a magical marine section?"

"It's in the last basement; it's basically a pool since those books actually need water"

"Marine literature might also have been my fault"

"You know, I'm just going to assume you were somehow involved into anything and everything regarding the written world"

"And you would be most likely right, I'm sure"

"Oh, hush you two, Arcas, why don't you go ahead so you can transform in privacy?"

Dipper nods, she hands him a piece of paper with a drawing and description of the bottle he's looking for. The moment the human's steps have faded Fay turns to Will with a grin that the other is well acquaintance with, the younger demon shuddered

"Did anything interesting happen with you two while I was gone?"

"We found one of your ghostly guards on the lower levels; she told him about the fire, he reacts very similarly to what I remember"

Fay nods, the smile softening

"There was a constellation missing, the one he carries"

"You finally went to visit?"

"It was long overdue"

Will rolls his eyes a silent 'couldn't agree more' that Fay caches expertly

"Reincarnation works oddly, the soul has a memory that causes him to react like Regulus used to, but he's his own person, you need to remember that"

Will nods solemnly; it's something they had discussed before, once Fay had discovered the bit about star demons being reborn. Fay grins then, an entirely different expression that Will knows just as well as any other, and is understandably wary

"That also means that you definitely have a chance with him, seeing as your brother is yet to join us"

The golden flush that covers Will's cheeks makes Fay chuckle, the Cipher twins had always had a soft spot for Regulus, and when they grew that transformed into obvious attraction. Regulus had tried not to pick favorites, she could tell, and though the star demon was very fond of Will, Bill had managed to be a bit more… charming. Though Fay was sure that Bill felt deeply for the star demon, she couldn't say if Regulus had felt the same amount, she knew he liked Bill more than as a friend, but they had never gone far, Regulus was gone too soon. But that was Regulus' story, and despite having inherited the pure colored soul, Dipper was a different person, she knew Bill would have his chance at redeeming himself in the future, but it would be unfair if Will didn't get to try as well, and with how uncaring honesty and sarcasm could be, Fay relished the moments when she could be fair

"Go on then, don't want to keep Arcas waiting"

Will hurried out, Fay couldn't help but laugh, it was cute

)'\ ~¡~|^^ {*)¿/ ~()* ¡¿% |/|)¿

The bottle Dipper was looking for had a note attached, a simple 'strip before drinking' in an elegant writing that Dipper was pretty sure had to be Fay's. The demon knew about humans enough to give Dipper his privacy, luckily there was a slide to the last basement so he quickly undressed, place himself on the slide, drank a glass of the potion, as instructed in the first paper that Fay gave him, pushed said glass as far as he could, and pushed himself down the slide. The rush of movement helped dealing with the transformation, probably an enchanted slide then, his lower half was entirely fish by the time he hit the water, when he realized he was breathing underneath he realized he must've developed gills as well

There were bookcases made of coral reef, or coral reef made into bookcases? Fish and other coral creatures were swimming around, a few had gathered around Dipper, he took the chance to look at his new tail, the scales were different shades of green and shone when the light hit them, his arms and torso now had brown fins to match the one at the end of his tail, swimming was odd but he got the hang of it by the time something entered the water, the fish went quickly into hiding. Will looked odd with his new yellow tail, unlike Dipper the fin at the end of his tail didn't split into two, instead it was longer in a light blue that matched well with the other tiny fins and Will's hair, the demon was a nice looking human, but he made for a really attractive merman. Slowly the fish started coming out, gathering around the two of them

"We should get going"

And somehow Will's voice sounded right at home in the water, if a bit more melodious than normally, but Dipper guessed his probably did too, mermaid physics and what not. He followed the demon deeper in the pool, to a place where the water seemed to stop as though there was a glass wall, Will made a movement with his hand and the next thing Dipper knew was that they were on a bubble of water crossing the inexistent wall and approaching a portal a bit further away, he had to give it to Fay, her library was pretty cool

~(%*% ^¡° ^)°% &|#%*

Dipper looked around to realize that they were in the sea; Will had somehow managed to not bring the fish at the library with them. Speaking of the demon, he had swam a bit further and was staring at something, Dipper swam to him feeling curious, when he looked in the direction the other was staring he stopped as well, slowly taking in the sight in front of him

Colorful figures of merpeople moved around coral covered ruins of what looked like an old Greek-ish city, broken walls and upside down conic columns winded in labyrinthine rhythm, and Dipper could sense magic humming from where he floated, what wasn't covered in sea life was painted in vibrant colors, reds, blues, greens and golds, some were almost untouched, portraying images of dances, battles, and most likely myths. The inhabitants themselves matched the beauty of their home, wearing their hair in similar fashion to the pictures but decorating it with shells, pearls and other treasures of the deep, but they lacked human touch, and maybe because of it they looked far more at home within the sunken city that would've looked as if frozen in time if not for the marine flora growing on it, but that too seemed to fill the empty spaces, like a natural puzzle

"It's beautiful"

His voice came out breathlessly, even through the water, but it seemed to be enough to bring Will out of his stupor

"Breathtaking"

Dipper nodded, then turned towards Will to verify the other had seen him, he met the gold gaze of the sole uncovered eye, even now Will was wearing the eyepatch, and though it intrigued him, Dipper thought it better not to ask, or at least not until the two knew each other better. The eye looks at him in a way that feels both alien and nostalgic on equal amounts, it was odd but not unpleasant; the demon shook his head and smiled mysteriously

"Shall we go then?"

Dipper smiled back feeling his curiosity tickling his brain

"We shall"

He nods along to emphasize and follows after Will when he starts swimming to the city, as they do so Dipper notices they're the only ones with such differently colored fins from their scales and wonders if perhaps it was a particularity of Fay's potions, Will seemed to pay no mind to this particular fact so it was a maybe

"Are we looking for something in particular?"

"Fay told me to head to the main building and give them the key"

"What key?"

Will looked at him sideways, with a flick of his wrist a cobalt key with a spade shaped handle appeared on his hand, with another it disappeared again

"Practical"

The demon flashed him a fanged grin, that Dipper wasn't sure was a mermaid feature or just normal demonic biology

"My brother isn't the only one who can manipulate the mindscape"

Dipper nodded, Will looked almost proud of himself, it was cute

They continued their trek to a temple-looking building in what seemed to be the edge of the city, what little was behind it hadn't survived to falling into the sea. Entering the building was easy, they attracted the attention of a mermaid in particular, she had a bluish-grey tail with lighter grey fins, her hair was a nice sand-like color and her eyes were a soft lake green, she smiled politely at them if a bit cautious

"Could I help you with anything?"

Will smiled back at her and showed her the key

"We were looking for what this opens"

Her eyes widened a bit at the key, then she took them in, as if analyzing them, her smile was tense

"And how did you come across that?"

Will grinned, and by the way she flinched Dipper decided that the sharp teeth were definitely a demon thing

"My guardian gave it to me herself, and by your reaction I can tell you know what it is"

The mermaid bit her lip before nodding and signaling for them to follow her, Will swam slower than her, Dipper stayed at his side

"I'm pretty sure you scared her"

"Mermaids always act like that with those they can't charm"

"She could charm me though, I'm pretty sure"

"Perhaps, but she doesn't know that"

"That's the most demonic thing I have ever heard you say"

Will laughed at that, face lighting up in mirth, a warm feeling filled Dipper; oh man, this was probably not a thing to be thinking about right now

They finally reached a covered area, there were sharks nearby but they didn't seem to pay any mind to them, the mermaid guiding them pointed to a chest, a marron colored bubble surrounded it, Will put a hand to the bubble and it faded away, the mermaid nodded and handed him the chest

"You'll want to open it on land, those aren't meant for water"

"Of course"

Will turned towards Dipper, and started swimming, Dipper followed after him quickly, the demon seemed to be struggling with the chest; the human frowned and swam in front of him, taking the chest himself much to the surprise of the demon. It wasn't heavy at all, a bit uncomfortable to carry if anything; Dipper raised an eyebrow at Will who was smiling like he had remembered something

"What?"

"I forgot it was from Fay's young years, no wonder it was zapping me so much"

"It's not doing anything to me"

"Because you're human, when she was young, Fay didn't trust demons all that much, so she bespelled everything she owned to reject them"

"Isn't that a bit counterproductive?"

Will chuckled lightly, starting the swim back to the still open portal again

"It is, that's why she wanted to get a human to help"

Dipper followed Will, holding the chest the best he could, he wondered if it would weight more once out of the water, he couldn't tell what kind of spell Fay had placed on the thing, he was going to find out soon though, as he could now see the portal in the distance

* * *

(A=85 | Ti = 22)


	9. End of the day

By now you probably noticed I have a thing for the word building of this particular story, Fay is such an interesting character to write for, it's great

Cipher clue 1: You will need this /01ph8263al5t ((and probably a periodic table))

Cipher clue 2: I call this one 'the numbers of chemistry'; you can proceed to hate me and everything I stand for

* * *

Chapter 9: End of the day

It was a cold day for spring, they were all battered from the trip here, fighting with the guards was not on Fay's list of things needed to get to the demon world, but apparently they had pissed off someone high up, the oldest demon was fuming and had given them quite the scolding. Will and Bill walked with their heads down on Regulus' sides, the star demon was giving Fay glances every now and then, both sorry for the twins and worried to incite her anger, the demoness paid him no mind and kept striding to the barrier. They crossed it without even noticing, until Regulus stopped dead on his tracks, and clutched to his stomach, coughing and falling to the ground, Bill was at his side on a moment, Will was calling for Fay, Regulus started glowing orange, fire was coming from him, Bill was dragged away from the star demon, he called his name and fought with whoever was holding him back, the orange flames became brighter and brighter, becoming almost white before the fire exploded

~TiHeScReSc PuScReSc PdReScBaInOsUSi ClOsNiClScPdTi AtLiScXeAtNiDyReInAtSi~

Bill Cipher sprung up on the void, the 12th plane didn't allow for much, one could sleep or lose his mind, Bill had probably long since lost his but boredom didn't sit well with him, nightmares were usually his to control but here he couldn't enter the mindscape ad avoid his own, it seemed like a fitting punishment for him, he wondered how much longer he would have to stay here, how long had it been already? Bill had never been good with time

~SiTiAtReSi, In PuInSiHe In ClOsULiDy DyReAtPu~

When they got back Fay was waiting for them in a shore of sorts that connected to the stairs, she took the chest from Dipper and gave him a glass of what looked like apple juice, she left him a towel and his clothes before dragging bill out in a maroon colored bubble, the demon simply rolled his eyes and waved Dipper goodbye

By the time Dipper got back upstairs Will was back to his normal clothes and he found Fable sitting on his shoulder, the mouse noticed him and scurried to him, Dipper picked her up and she went to her new designed place, Fay chuckled

"You should be going home soon, time might not work the same inside here as in the outside world but it should be getting late out there"

"Ah, right, I think I sort of noticed?"

"My library is a place between dimensions built by a demon; it doesn't get along all that well with human concepts such as time"

"So, in how much trouble will I be when I get home?"

"Not much, it's still the same day if I'm not mistaken"

"And she rarely is"

Fay seemed a bit saddened by the comment, as if she was remembering something hurtful, Will probably noticed as well because he stood up and put a hand on Dipper's shoulder

"I'll walk you to the exit"

Fay nodded her head in a silent goodbye before going inside her office, Will guided Dipper to the main entrance of the library in silence

~In ClOsULiDy SiHeOsPu YbOsU ReGaULiUSi' DyScAtTiHe!~

In one side of the city, in a tall-ish building with a single door with a craving of an open book, a demonness with aquamarine colored hair and tanned skin sat on a chair holding into an old book, the title in a language long forgotten, as well kept as she allowed herself to keep it, she was about to let time have another go at it when the door to her office opens, a half-covered face raises to meet the sky-blue haired demon that gives her a sheepish look, she sighs and puts the book back where it belonged before standing up from the chair and letting him guide her to their make-shift home.

On the other side of the city, in a house like any other, a young brunet man opens his house door and meets with an exited twin sister, she asks a thousand questions about the job and his coworkers, before she notices the mouse in his shoulder and he decides that said mouse is an easier subject to talk about, so he does.

Mabel thankfully takes a shine to Fable, in all her zombie glory, the mouse seems to like her just as much, Dipper is glad, he then tells her about his job, finding some elusive books, which is a very simplified version but the truth nonetheless, later he talks a little about his coworker and boss

"Alex is extremely smart and ridiculously sarcastic; Will spends way too much time with her it rubbed off on him"

"You fit right in then"

Dipper moves a hand to his chest in mock offense; Mabel rolls her eyes at him, she manages to get more information, she notices the way her brother flushed when he talks about his coworker, though it's obvious Dipper hasn't realized it yet so she doesn't press the matter

~In PdLiAtNi TiHeScSiSc AtHeScAtDy OsFe TiInMgSc~

Will and fay enter the living of their apartment, Fay flops on the couch before giving Will a serious look

"Will, about the next batch of books"

"Are they somewhere difficult?"

"Something like that, they're under the custody of my favorite creatures"

"You left books to fairies"

"It should be fine for the most part, if you catch them in the right mood"

"Don't they adore you though?"

"Well yes, but they are prone to pranking strangers, you have never met them before and I doubt Dipper has ever seen one"

Will raised an eyebrow

"Do you, not know?"

"Just because I can only tell the truth doesn't mean I know everything, information is both true and lie at the same time"

He crosses his arms

"The cat in the box"

She nods

"The cat in the box"

"I'll have to find out then"

She smiles mysteriously with a hint of an advanced apology

"Indeed"

* * *

(a=d)


	10. Cambiash, city of fairies

Look when it comes to winged humanoid creatures, authors have plenty different opinions, this is mine

I have a problem, too many of the names I use start with L and S

Cipher Clue: Forward is the opposite of back, you take as many steps as a triangle has sides

* * *

Chapter 10: Cambiash, city of fairies

The next day found Dipper and Will sitting on Fay's office, the room had a sole bookcase going from the floor to the bottom, two cabinets at its side and various shelves filled with objects of differing origins, some Dipper had never seen on his life and other's that he was sure had disappeared through time. In the center of the room laid a birch wood desk surrounded by an arm chair and two couches, two doors of different shape and colors stood on the side walls, finally a black door with stained glass on the upmost part leaded to the main room they had been up to now, Dipper had asked Mabel to take care of Fable for today, both seemed pretty thrilled with the idea, Fay seemed pleased at the lack of rodent just as much, so he guessed everyone won

Currently, the demoness was leafing through an old book that occupied most of her desk, some sort of bestiary by the pictures, a few corrections in shimmering maroon made it look like Fay had decided to make notes with blood, and that lead to Dipper pondering whether blood would be better or worse than ink for paper, he was about to ask when Fay finally found the creature she was looking for

"Ah ha! Here we go, Fairies"

The text was in what looked like runes, the picture depicted a young looking woman with leaf-shaped wings hanging from her back, her body seemed to be made of plants and her ears were pointy, the eyes looked cat-like, Fay grinned

"Not to be confused with pixies, those are the size of a hummingbird, nor Faeries, those are actually people from the town of Fae, I ignore if they still exist; I don't get out much"

Dipper guessed the one he had seen when he was younger had been a pixie then

"They suffer of a very similar curse as I, meaning that they cannot lie, they hold me in esteem due to me teaching them the ways of sarcasm, so they shouldn't be too hard to convince"

She turned her head up towards Dipper, lips pulled in a way that spoke of weariness

"On the other hand, they have a particular fondness for pranks, so I'd advice going prepared"

"What's the worst they could do?"

"I wouldn't know, as I said, they like me plenty"

"You think they'd try anything deadly"

Fay shook her head no

"They have experienced my anger on one occasion, and their kin solely forgets"

"Is that a good thing?"

"It means they won't try anything dangerous if they know it'll lead to Fay getting angry, she has more powers than truth and sarcasm"

"You do?"

"I don't talk much about it, I rarely ever use them as they have quite the nasty side effect on me; I used two have eyes"

Dipper swallowed, Will coughed

"Too much information"

"Sorry, I get carried away"

"Yeah, ok, I'm going to try not making you angry"

Fay smiles broadly, her teeth look particularly sharp now that Dipper's really looking, she closes the book with a heavy sound and stands up

"That said, I trust you will have no troubles getting back, and I'm sure I can reverse anything they might pull on you"

She strode towards the right door, it had a circular shape on the upmost part, almost red in color, a golden round handle and a carving of a dragonfly, it looked like something taken out of a fairytale; Dipper guessed it was fitting, he was curious about the door on the left, smaller than the one on the right, the wood was painted white, the handle glinted silver and the constellation of Leo was carved in the wood, he wondered if perhaps it had anything to do with Regulus, mystery seemed to surround the star demon and somehow, Dipper felt like it was connected to him, he was brought back to the matter at hand by Will

"We should get going"

Dipper nodded and left the door on the left alone for now, he could always ask Fay about it later, he was sure she would answer

~L KDYH WKH DQVZHU VKHHWV WR HYHUB FRGH WDLORUHG IRU DO~

Fay opens the door to reveal an archway of trees leading to a cave, she watches as Dipper and Will cross the door and closes it behind them, she turns and faces the door on the left, It was obvious that the human had been interested in it, and honestly Fay was a bit abashed that he had decided not to ask right then and there, perhaps it was a bit worrying to know that Dipper trusted her to inform him about it if he were to ask, not that Fay had any intention or reason to hide where the door lead, but trust was a rare thing between species such as theirs, and Fay knew her fair share of disasters cause by misguided trust. She would have to tell him eventually, she owed him that much, and she had no intention of causing him pain of any variant

There were many truths, each person views the world differently, some create world of their own where the only truth is their own until that world is shared with others and it too gains many truths, lies are born then, but Fay has forgotten what lies are like or if they exist at all, she reasons they must for how would she be blocked from something that doesn't exist. Her own truth is complicated, it tangles with many she gains from meeting with others, but as far as she's concerned, she's not trustworthy; this is something Dipper Pines has yet to learn

~DO VWDQGV IRU DOHADQGUD'V OLEUDUB IBL~

The cave runs deeply into what Dipper guesses it's a mountain, it connects with other caves with a system of underground tunnels, light with glowing crystals of different colors, they make a great job at allowing Dipper to see but he keeps close to Will regardless, the system seems rather intricate, the tunnels are spacious though, Dipper guesses it's so the fairies can fly through them, they don't have to walk too long to find outside light again, the exit opens into a city surrounded by mountain, multiple holes that reconnect with the underground system, the buildings seem to be arranged in circles, leaving space for roads and streets and leading to a circular plaza, closer to the plaza, a circle of buildings with roofs imitating mushrooms, made for the stores and main buildings, each with a sign to identify it, the entire place was very colorful, the inhabitants were even more so

There's one fairy waiting in one of the entrances to the city, a creature with long firefly-like wings, dressed in what looks like flower-made clothes, only Dipper is pretty sure there's no flowers that big, and they are big, though tinier than humans, the fairy perks up when they spot them and they fly to them

"Hello, welcome to Cambiash, the home of fairies"

"Merry met"

"My, you have wonderful manners for a human"

Dipper felt like retorting but Fay's voice ringed in his head, fairies didn't have the ability to hold their opinions to themselves, however, they were very capable of mischief, it was better to appeal to their good side

"Merry met, are you Lully?"

The fairy chuckled in amusement

"A polite human and a forward demon, there's a wild concept, yes I'm Lully"

The fairy dressed in petals of different tonalities of violet, her hair was pink and her eyes were purple

"The shroom said our patron would send you to retrieve her books"

While Will talked with the fairy about which books in particular they were here for, Dipper was wondering how a mushroom could deliver a message and whether or not it was on purpose that the plaza looked like a huge fairy ring. Before he could voice any of this, however, Lully had finished talking with Will and started flying through the streets, Will made a signal for Dipper to follow and went after her, Dipper decided he could always borrow Fay's glossary to read more into fairies, much of what he knew probably collided with what was; for now though, he had a fairy and a demon to catch up to

* * *

(A=3 | 0=T)


	11. Rose powder

It's the little things

This chapter was a pain to write, holly shit

This is the first written thing I post on 2017, it was a pain

Cipher clue: Numbers and letters in two sized wheels, the larger one stays the smaller one spins

* * *

Chapter 11: Rose powder

Rule number one of wandering through a forest: Never, under any circumstance, step on a fairy ring. Rule number one of visiting the city of fairies? The main plaza is a gigantic fairy ring. Of course, Will and Dipper crossed through there, their guide had done so, and why would they sidetrack on a place they didn't know?

The repercussion was mild, honestly, they just suffered a prank, nothing deadly, just got covered in a very pink and terribly smelling dust, it made Dipper feel light headed, Will seemed unaffected so Dipper had made it a point to lean his weight against him in retaliation, the demon didn't push him away. They managed to walk like that the rest of the trek, there was a giggling group of fairies following suit

The headed to a tall building, shaped like a seed half-buried in the ground, colored glass scales covered it on its way upwards, the door was made of white wood with a painting of a maroon and bluish-green back cover of an open book, inside looked like a temple of sorts, decorated in greens and blues, Dipper could almost feel Fay in the pillars, which were engraved with a language similar to that of the book, a series of rune-like symbols, probably telling stories about the demoness. When Will and Fay had mentioned the fairies adoring the demoness, Dipper was expecting something milder, though now that he thought about it; it made complete sense that this was what they meant

A different fairy waited inside, this one was dressed in petals of different shades of blue, they're wings were shaped like crescent moons back to back, they exuded an air of power, much like their guide, they had pointy ears and looked tiny in comparison to humans but only slightly, just enough that Dipper noticed

"Lully mentioned that lady Fayline sent you to retrieve her books"

Will was the one to speak but Dipper couldn't make out what he was saying, it felt like he was underwater, hearing sounds distorted to the point where he couldn't hear the words, he tried concentrating on what the two were talking about but found his attention pinned on the demon and what he was doing more than the conversation

It took Dipper about four beats to realize he was under the influence of a love potion of sorts, it took him nothing to note how much easier it was to measure time by his own heart-beat, the second thought helped with the first, the potion was more of an enhancer of sorts it seemed, he wondered if Fay would have an antidote for such a thing, then reasoned that the demoness most definitely would have one considering she had seemed to know what was going to happen beforehand

At some point Dipper received two books of considerable size with tied with a rope and Will held about six scrolls, Dipper guessed these were of the oldest of Fay's creations

As they walked back through the caves, with the help of a spell for tracking Fay's portals, it was a nifty trick, and did Dipper just think of the word nifty? That was… silly, yes, that was the right word, it was almost funny even, ha… what was he thinking again? Oh right, Will

The demon looked really nice in this lightning, the glowing gemstones bringing out the light blue tint of his hair and the golden one of his eye, he was so pretty, his hair looked really soft too, Dipper had been dying to run his fingers through it since he saw it for the first time, the color suited Will very well. Dipper only felt better about his staring because Will was staring just as much, which would've been a problem without the tracker, it was a very smart idea, Will was very smart, the demon stopped in a part of the tunnels that was wider than others, the scrolls on his arms started floating in an amber glow, his books were lifted as well but before Dipper could ask he found his mouth busy against Will's in something of a mix of frustration and want, and he kissed back without a second thought, it was nice, Fay could wait

~B'F 3EP3RL M7FIM76 MH PKBM7 C3 BGLM736 H8 A3~

Fay was waiting for them when they got back, slightly leaning into her desk, arms crossed and with the smuggest face Dipper had ever seen on a face that was half-covered; but Dipper felt rather giddy over the whole thing so it didn't work as well as it would have any other time, probably still under the effects of whatever powder had been thrown at them

"Did you two have sex?"

Dipper didn't need to see the demoness' brow to know her eyebrow was arched perfectly, he just knew, they were probably just as angled as everything else that belonged to Fay

"We kissed"

Will looked about as happy as Dipper felt, it was nice. Fay actually moved her fringe out of the way so they could see her arched eyebrow over the glass eyes, as expected both eyebrows were angles, Dipper felt kind of proud

"It was amazing"

"How cute"

"What are we on Fay?"

"Oh, you're still reasonable? You're a strong one Arcas"

Dipper shrugged, and smiled at Will when the demon leaned on him

"A very potent feeling enhancer, the powdered petals of winter roses"

"As in flowers that grow on winter?"

"No, just normal roses that survive to the first days of winter, thus why you humans think it's the flower of love"

"Huh"

"Ok, so maybe not as lucid as first thought, jotting it down"

"PRP"

Both Fay and Dipper turned to Will, Fay smiled tenderly

"Yes son?"

"L'P KDSSB"

"That's great Will"

"He's cute when he rambles in ciphers"

Fay snorts at Dipper, Will blushes through his tan complexion

~RHN 6HG'M NG67KLM3G6~

The moment Dipper came back to his normal senses he's deep in a section he hasn't been to before, Fay was literally floating a ways away organizing books in what looked like Russian, she had her whole attention on the task but still, Dipper was sure she knew he was back

"You know, most believe being unable to lie somehow gives me mind reading minds"

"You don't exactly go out of your way to prove otherwise"

She turned to him then, a Cheshire cat-like grin spread on her face

"And you become very honest under the effects of roses"

Dipper blushed, the demoness chuckled

"I managed to get you and Will apart, but it was honestly a more interesting ride than I had expected at first"

"You did know"

"I suspected, I didn't know"

Dipper lets go of the subject, he already has enough headache

"How much do you remember?"

"Up to where we kissed again, did anything else happen?"

"I convinced you to come with me by threatening you that you couldn't date my pseudo son if you didn't"

"Oh god"

"Don't worry, Will can't remember it either, but you two should definitely talk about your feelings towards each other"

She looks frustrated as she finally descends to Dipper's level

"I'd rather not meddle on this, but I will if I deem it necessary, I do worry about Will so"

Dipper swallowed and nodded, he preferred to pick his words and not blurt out something, Fay knew this it seemed and she was normally not the kind to get involved, preferring for things to settle in their own course, but Will was involved this time, and Fay could only stand watching him hurt for so long, but this wasn't her decision to make, no, that was for Will and Dipper to do, all she could do was try and push them into what obviously made them both happy. In the huge puzzle that was the library's story, something clicked into place, Dipper felt like he was closer to understand just what role he played in all of this

* * *

(a=.-)


	12. Stories about love, time and freedom

Cipher clue: With lights or with tapping, an aged design, when you think secret codes this is number one

The title is based on the title to the title of a Spanish book (Historias de amor, de locura y de muerte)

* * *

Chapter 12: Stories about love, time and freedom

 _Time_

 _Such a complicated invention_

 _I've never understood the concept of time_

 _Have never spoken to the gods that claim to control it_

 _How does it work?_

 _Concepts are odd to me_

 _Never quite true or lie_

 _How should I proceed about them once I lie no more?_

 _Perhaps then I'll understand if only the concept I'm supposed to guard_

 _A curse to keep my powers at bay_

 _So that they don't cause another disaster_

 _MHF_

~-..-... .-.-.-.. ...-.-. .-...-.. -...?~

"You used a Cipher in a dead language"

"Not 'a' dead language, 'the' dead language"

"What do you mean 'the' dead language?"

"The first language, the true language, Babylon's tower and all that jazz"

"Fay's still angry over that"

"I have the right to be!"

"You mean to tell me that actually happened"

There was a flash of maroon, Will stood up abruptly

"Alexandria!"

Something dropped in the distance, Fay took deep breaths

"P'T ZVYYF, P'T ZVYYF"

Dipper reached for her, slowly, softly, not even noticing how he was emitting an almost imperceptible green glow, though Fay had no eyes to speak of he could feel her gaze on him and spoke in whispers

"Breathe with me"

Fay laughs and there are tears in her eyes, everything about her speaks of relief

"Demons don't do oxygen Arcas"

Dipper blushes and promptly hides his hands behind his back, Fay smiles at him tenderly

"I thank you for your concern, it helped plenty"

And just like that things were back to normal, or as normal as they could be

~.. -.-.-..-.-..-.. .-..-.-...-...-..-.- .-.-...-. .- ...-.-.- ...-.-.-.- ...-..~

After they put the books in their place, Fay left Will and Dipper alone to go to an errand, somewhere in the 1850's apparently, it was odd seeing her in that kind of clothing, hair going brown once more, curling yet somehow retaining the angles, it wasn't the weirdest thing that had happened

With Fay gone a new problem arose, Will and Dipper had to talk about what had happened in Cambiash

Now, Dipper had only one memory to point at when it came to experience with love enhancers of any sort, well, he had two now but that was beside the point. The last time love potions were involved had thankfully ended in a good note, but it was a messy endeavor, to put it in words, but that had been about other people, this was about himself and Will

There was a tense silence for a moment before realization dawned on Dipper; he gave Will a small smile

"So, we like each other"

Will flushed gold, which stood out rather nicely on his complexion, Dipper leaned on the table; Will was decidedly not looking at him

"Would you like to go out with me?"

The demon turned to him then, surprised and still with a bit of blush

"You want to take me on a date?"  
"Only if you want to go"

A small smile formed in the other's lips

"I would like that"

~-.- -.. .-...-.-..-.. -.-.-.-~

One moment everything was the eternal darkness of the 12th plane, the next he was in a well-furnished room and everything was tinted in sepia, in a dark chair sat a powerful being that felt almost like a god, the being had such black skin that it was hard to look at, yet Bill sat on the remaining chair with a feeling of familiarity

"What's your outlook on time Bilius Cipher?"

They had gravely sort of voice with an accent he knew well yet couldn't name, the question was a test of some sort, it had to be, he remembered something old said by a warm voice with the same accent as this being, he smiled

"One can only ever pretend to know about the concepts that aren't their own"

The being chuckled breathily, leaning back on the chair

"She's rubbed on you, no wonder with how much time you spent under her care"

Something inside Bill felt like standing up for the demoness, but he kept it to himself, the other looked pleased

"Time, in the sense humans gave it, works very differently in each and every plane, specifically in the twelfth"

Bill kept silent again, the being took on a solemn expression, Bill could tell even though he could barely look at the other

"You were to spend a hundred days counted by how time passes inside the 12th plane, yet here you are not even half that time passed, because I decided that your fate would be other"

Now Bill new were Fay got it from, he knew exactly who he was speaking to now, anger swirled inside him but he held his tongue once more, the demon smirked, a clawed hand rose, just as black as the rest of him

"Say hello to that daughter of mine"

The next thing Bill new, he was standing in a busy street in human form feeling like he would faint any second, he saw a door with the sign of an open book and hurried to it, he only managed to open it before blacking out, he thinks he heard a familiar voice calling his name

* * *

(a=1)


	13. Dreams are triangles

It was dawn when it happened, Fay can only tell because the sun was going down, she hadn't been expecting Bill for at least another four days, or had those passed already? She had never gotten along with the demons that controlled time or the gods for that matter, there was also that one titan but he was reduced to mere fragments somewhere in the pit, though with Fay being older than the other she reasoned that had fate decided they should meet they would already have, Fay liked to believe she would understand just as much if not less of time in such a situation, it brought a grin to her lips. The demoness had to stop her trail of thought to concentrate on the fact that Bilius Cipher was now resting in a bed of the house she was 'living' in with Will, she had put a spell on him that would keep his mind at rest long enough for her to settle things, she brushed the blond hair back, Bill would need a haircut, from the face in a motion that was familiar enough to her, in other time she would have left a kiss to his forehead to ward off nightmares, but now she didn't dare, there was much to do

She left the room and put a locking spell on the door as second thought, he would not get to run away on her again damn it, it was high time he faced Will, she swore on her mother's name, they both needed it gravely; but first she would have to deal with Oren Pines

She exited the house into the highest level of the library, there in a clearing of bookshelves, sitting on two well-worn and comfortable looking couches, were Will and Dipper, they both looked at her as she closed the door that connected both buildings, she readied herself for what she was to face, in the eternity that was her life she had come across many dangerous beings, but Fay held a reverent fear for humans and their anger, and at the same time, throughout her many centuries, she had also gained a quiet respect for their thirst of knowledge, and she most definitely preferred them to demons, still, with one such as Arcas, she felt right to be weary, she addressed Will first

"Your brother returned earlier than I anticipated, though I do not recommend going to him just yet, the twelfth dimension has nasty effects on demons"

Will nods quickly, looking both exited and terrified, her heart goes to him, but she has to deal with the human in the room

"I will like to talk with you Arcas, about what the future will held should you choose to stay with us for longer"

She strides with caution but speed, knowing fully that Dipper will follow after, because there is reason for Dipper to stay now, and Fay needs a human so she will make everything in her power to keep him working with them, though more than need there was fondness in this decision, for she had grown to quite like Arcas and his natural inclination for sarcasm, it would hurt for them to part of bad terms, and given the circumstances, that wasn't entirely out of the picture

~15-14-3-5 21-16-15-14 1 20-9-13-5~

When Fay had signaled for him to follow, he had been expecting her to lead them to her office, not to the stairs to the lower floors, the many basements were separated from the stairs by wall and doors, the first time he had gone downstairs he noticed that except the first floor and the ones that he could traverse through, all were made of different metals, Fay did not go down towards the safe floors, she remained in the first, a polished black door that Will said was made of obsidian, it had no handle but Fay didn't need one, the door gave away to her touch, as if melting down she advanced, Dipper followed with little hesitance, once he crossed the door way the door formed again leaving them to complete darkness, before Fay said a word in her own language and was surrounded by maroon light, it took him a moment to recognize it as the demonness aura, then in a movement similar to a water surface that had been broken by a stone the room light up in ghostly lights that went from white to indigo with no in-between. It took much longer for Dipper to hear the slithering and for his eyes to adjust enough that he could see the sources of both the noise and the light, serpent like creatures floated in the room, casting just enough light that he could see the contour of the shelves in the walls filled with nothing but scrolls, separated into small squars each with a metallic plate that glistened in the gloom, he stayed as close to Fay as possible

"What are they?"

Fay doesn't turn, which is unusual but her aura expands a little

"Lies"

"What?"

"Just like I'm a representation of truth, these little fellas are the representation of lies"

This time she moves a hand as if cutting through water, the 'lies' scurry away from her, it makes sense with her curse, Dipper notices that there's more white ones that indigos and doesn't know what to make of it, finally Fay stopped, on top of what felt like carpet were two sofas and a small tea table, Dipper could only see the silhouettes, Fay moved to what looked like a vase, her hand disappearing inside it, then a maroon bubble surrounded the two couches giving the little space inside it enough ight for Dipper to even discern the colors, influenced by the tone of the light as they were

"Please take a seat"

~20-8-5-18-5 23-1-19 1-14 5-7-7 20-8-5 3-15-12-15-18 15-6 20-8-5 19-21-14~

Will sensed his brother waking up; he made his way into the room, noticing the enchantment placed by Fay, he tries the knob and is a bit surprised when he can open the door, he wonders what conditions the spell had

Bill wakes up with a start, breathing heavily, Will's at his side in a second

"Reg!"

Will held him, hushing him; Bill took a moment to come to

"Will?"

"You were having a nightmare"

"Ugh, Fay was right about the twelfth plane"

"I thought you were already mad?"

"Oh, ha-ha Will, very funny"

"And there's my twin brother, I was worried for a second there"

"You spend way too much time with Fay"

Will bites his lip, Bill groans again, grabbing the pillow and hiding his head there

"You do know he was re-born, right?"

Bill raised his head before sighing

"Pine tree might have Reg's soul, but he's not Regulus"

"Ok, good to know you think that, because I'm dating him"

Bill whirled his head towards his twin, Will flinched, the blond deflated

"Really now? Made your move while I wasn't here, did you brother mine?"

Will's eye gleamed yellow, Bill's eye shone blue in retaliation

~20-8-5 5-7-7, 8-15-23-5-22-5-18, 8-1-20-3-8-5-4 21-14-4-5-18 13-15-15-14-12-9-7-8-20~

"What I'm promising you goes against what my father's planned, however, as I value your assistance I am willing to interfere in this particular case"

"So, you'll keep him away from me"

"I'll be like he's not even there, well I can't say Will won't bring him to conversation, but I believe that's for you two to talk about"

Dipper nods, he breathed deeply and slowly before making a decision

"Fine, I'll trust you with this"


	14. Author's note and solutions

Dearest stars:

I apologize in advance for my words to any and all people who were hoping for a more decisive conclusion to this story, I'm afraid I have lost all control of this narrative and no longer have any clue where I'm taking it, it's become harder and harder to write with each chapter so I have made the decision to just let it go. I do so hope you understand and accept this choice.

Atte.

~Sky

* * *

Now, for those who were wondering, here are the solutions to all used codes in "Alexandria's library", in order

1) Let's begin

2) I feeI Iike I'm the onIy one who gives them different names

2.a) You said that about Regulus and look what happened

3) Finally, a different POV

4) Stars, I like this code

5) 2016 is such a mess of a year

6) I actually know nothing about morse code

7) Stop me before it is too late

8) Chocolate is good for your soul

9) Truth is such an interesting concept

10) What for me is an absolute truth might seem like a ridiculous idea to you

11) When you stop to think about it

12) Fandom camp is a terrible idea

13) Considering the fandom wars (might not be in)

14) The first a.m.'s are inspiration-full times

15) Numbers aren't allowed in number code

16) I'm going to have to re-use some codes from this point forward

17) I'm totally using this one again

18) These look like faces

19) There were previous concept Alexandrias

20) Stars, I wish I could draw

21) I could show you Regulus' death!

22) I plan these ahead of time

23) I have the answer sheets to every code tailored for AL

24) AL stands for Alexandria's library FYI

27) I'm always tempted to write ja instead of ha

28) You don't understand

29) Does anyone even read these?

30) I could probably write a short story here

31) No one would know

32) Once upon a time

33) There was an egg the color of the sun

34) The egg, however, hatched under moonlight

And here are the ones that were never used but I had planned

35) From it a gryffin was born

36) The griffin was half bird and half deer;

37) the bird half was painted in the tones of a sunrise

38) oranges, pinks and soft yellows

39) the blue almost black antlers the odd thing out

40) The deer half was instead colored in the purples and reds

41) that one would associate better with sunsets

42) The wings were a collision

43) of the first and last ligts of the day

44) Their spirit burned like the sun

45) yet their eyes glimmered like the moon

46) The gryffin soon grew to love their colors

47) and one day wile looking upon the world

48) they took a deep breath and said

49) "Squaaaaaack!"

50) The end

That would be all, thanks for reading


End file.
